Can-making machine.



J. L. NEEL.

CAN MAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 001. 23. 1-914.

1,156,619. Patented 001.12, 1915.

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.I. L. NEEL.

CAN MAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATIOYN'FILED OCT. 23. 1914.

1 1 56,6 1 9'. Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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J. L. NEEL.

CAN MAKING MACHINE. APPLICATION man 001223. 1914.

1,156,619. v Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

d. L. N661 JAMES L. want, or CEDAR nArIns, IOWA, Assrenon or ONE-HALF roeniannro. KIPP,

or CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.

CAN-MAKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patgnted Oct. 12, 1915. 7

Application filed October 23, 1914. Serial No. 868,187.

new and useful Improvements in Can-Making Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to. the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in I the art of making cans and more specifically stated, to a machine for forming can bodies, the machine I have shown being adapted to cut and press tubes made of paper or other fibrous material.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple means forcutting a long tube into sections so as to produce a number of tubular can bodies- Another object is to produce a simple means for contracting the tubular structure to form closure seats at an end, or the ends, of a tubular can body.

Other objects and advantages as well as the novel details of construction will be hereinafter pointed out.

Briefly stated, the preferred form of my invention comprises a rotatable mandrel adapted to receive a long tube, said mandrel being provided with annular peripheral grooves which are covered by the long tube. The machine is preferably provided with means for pressing portions of the long tube into the annular grooves at the periphery of the mandrel, and also with means for cut ting said tube into a number of sections, thereby forming a number of can bodies, each of which is provided with contracted ends for the reception of closures. The means for severing the long tube preferably comprises a number of knives adapted to be inserted through the tube and into the an- I nular grooves in the mandrel. The means for pressing the long tube preferably comprises a series of presser members movable toward and away from the mandrel, each of said presser members being adapted to force a portion of the tube into an annular groove in the mandrel.

Figure I is a side elevationofa machine embodying the features of my invention. Fig. II isa'n end elevation. Fig. III is a vertical section taken approximately on the line. III-III Fig. I, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow, showing the knife carrier in the position it occupies during the cuttlng operations. F i g. IV is a vertical section taken approximately ,on the line IVIV, Fig. Llooking in the direction indicated by the arrow, showing the knife carrier and pressing device in. the positions they occupy during the cutting and pressing operations. Fig. V is atop or plan view of the mechanism at one end of the machine. Fig. VI is a detail viewof one of. the cams for operating I the pressing device, Fig; VII is a section taken approximately onthe line VIIVII, Fig. I, showing the clutch for coupling the cam shaft to a drive shaft. Fig. VIII is a vertical section of the elements shown in Fig. VII. Fig. IX is a top or plan view of the cam lever associated with the clutch. Fig. X is a fragmental detail view of the mandrel. tail view of one of the can bodies formed by cutting and pressing a long tube.

The main supporting element of the machine comprises a table 1 mounted on legs 2.

3 designates a rotatable power shaft (Fig.

supported in bearings 4 and 5 near one end of the machine and provided with a drive pulley 6. i

7 designates a cylindrical mandrel secured at one of its ends to the power shaft 3 and provided at its opposite end with a tapered journal 8 (Fig. V) arranged within an end bearing member 9, the latter being provided with a tapered bearing face adapted to receive the tapered journal 8.. The mandrel 7 is thus supported by bearing members lo cated near its opposite ends and the end bearing member 9 is in the form of a pivoted wing which may be moved toward and away from the mandrel, as will'be hereinafter described, to permit the application of a long tube to the mandrel. is provided with a series of peripheral grooves 10, which are covered by the tube (not shown), and the machine includes a pressing device for forcing portions of the tube into these grooves; and a cuttingdevice for severing said tube at points midway between the side walls of the annular grooves 10. The object is to press and cut thelong tube so as to produce a number of can bodies, each having its ends contracted as shown at 10 in Fig. XI.

The pressing device comprises a series of vertically movable presser members 12 passing through the table 1 at points below the mandrel, said presser members being united Fig. XI is ade- The mandrel 7 l as shown most clearly in Fig. I. Each 'pre'sser member is provided with a curved face at its upper end adapted to engage the tube supported by the mandrel, and located at a point directly opposite one of'the annular grooves in the mandrel so that the pressing device may be elevated with the result of forcing portions of the tube into the annular grooves 10. A heating device, for heating thepressing; elements, comprises a series of gas burners 13 located adj acentto the upper ends of the presser members 12,

. andconnected to'agas supply pipe 14;.

- The cutting device, for severing. the long tube at points between the opposlte slde wallsof the grooveslO, comprises a series of circular knives 15 located adjacent to said' grooves, and adapted to be moved toward and away-from themandrel. The knife carrier supporting the knives 15 s pivoted to a shaft 16, the latter being supported near itsends by bearings 17- and 18. The knife carrier comprises a series of knife holdersin the 'form of brackets 19 pivoted to the shaft 16; a long connecting bar 20, ad 7 justably connected to one end'of each bracket 19by means of set screws-21; and arms 22 V connecting the bar 20 to the shaft 16. The

arms 22 are rigidly secured to the connect ing bar 20 and pivotally mounted ;on the shaft 16, so that the frame consisting of arms 22'connecting bar 20' and the brackets 19 may be rocked about the aXis of the shaft 16; Each circular"knife'15 is rigidly secured to a short shaft 23 passing through a bracket 19 and secured to a gear wheel'2l. It will be noted that the device includes a series of'gear- Wheels -24Qand that each bracket 19'is interposed between a knife 15 and a gear Wheel 24. Inaddition to constituting a support for the knife carrier, the shaft 16 is utilized inrotating the knives,

one end of said shaft being provided with a a gear wheel 25 meshing with a gear Wheel 26 on the power shaft 3, seeFig. I.

V 27. designates gear wheels secured to the shaft16, and meshing with the gearwheels 24, the latter being secured to the'rotatable knives, as previously pointed out. The shaft l6, constituting a-drive shaft for the knives, is driven continuously through the medium of the gear wheels 25 and 26, (Fig. (hen the knife carrier is moved toward and away from the mandrel 7 it rocks'about the aXis of the rotating shaft 16, and inthis connection it will be noted that l the gear wheels2 l, secured to the knives, are so arranged that they may be moved along the periphery of'the gear wheels 27 when the knife carrier is shifted about the axis of the p I shaft 16.

' The'bearing 9,'fittedto the tapered ournal 8 at one end of the mandrel, is rigidly secured to a vertical rock shaft 30, supported in a bearing 31, see Figs. III and V. A

bevel gear wheel 32, secured to the lower end of the vertical rock shaft 30, meshes with a bevel gear wheel 33 secured to a horizontal rock shaft 34, the latter being provided with V a lever arin '35 connected by means of a link 36't0 av cam actuated lever 37.

38 designates a cam (Figs. I and IV) having a groove 39 for the reception of a roller on the cam actuated lever 37. The cam 38 is rigidly secured to a tubular cam shaft AOJ It will benoted that the mechanism just described may be operated with the result ofrocking the end bearing9 toward and away a from the tapered journal 8 at oneend of the mandrel 7. The means for rocking the knife carrier, to movethe knives toward and away from themandrel 7, comprises a pair OLECELIDS 41 (Figs. I and III) secured to the tubular cam shaft 40, each of said cams 41 having a groove 12 adapted to receive a roller4'3 secured to' a lever 14:, the latter be ing supported by a'pivot rod 45. The cam actuated levers 4c-f'are connected to the knife carrier by means of links 16 so that the cams 41 may be rotated to move the knives toward and away from the mandrel.

The pressing device, having the presser members 12, is operated by means of cams secured to the tubular cam shaftA-O, one of these cams being shown in Fig. VI, Each cam 47 has a cam groove 48 adapted to receiVe a roller'el9 carried by a leg 50 depending from the pressing device. The pressing device is provided with two of the legs50 and each of these legs is located adjacent to one of the cams 47, as shown in Fig. I;

The means for operating the tubular cam shaft %0 comprisesa pinion 51 secured to the rotating power shafti3 (Figs. I and II) and ineshingwith a large gear wheel 52 secured'to' a pinion'53, and a gear wheel 54:

meshing'with the saidpinion 53. The gear.

wheel'5et is secured to a drive shaft 55 pass ing through the tubular'cam shaft .40, and journaled in the legs 2 at the ends of the 7 machine. The drive shaft 55 is driven continuously, but the tubular cam shaft 40 is' operated intermittently through the medium of a clutch device A adapted to couple the drive shaft55 to the tubular cam shaft 40. The clutch device A preferably comprises a disk 56'rigidly secured to the drive shaft 55, and a disk 57 rigidly secured to the tubular engaged by a pin secured to the clutch pin 58. The pin 65 passes through a slot in the spring housing 60, as shown in Fig. VIII. The clutch throwing lever 62 is connected to a weighted lever 66 by means of a link 67 and this weighted lever 66 may be operated manually to release the cam 6st from the pin 65, which extends from the clutch pin 58. When the parts occupy the positions shown in Figs. VII and VIII the cam 64 on the clutch throwing lever is released from the pin 65, and the clutch pin is forced into the disk 56 by means of the spring 61. The clutch members are then united so that the cam shaft 40 is'driven by the shaft 55 and when the cam shaft makes one complete revolution the clutch pin 58 is automatically disengaged from the clutch disk 56, as will be presently described. When the operator releases the weighted lever 66, it moves by gravity to elevate the free end of the clutch throwing lever 62 and the cam 64 on said lever is thenlocated in the path of the pin 65 carried by the clutch disk 57. When the cam shaft has been turned almost one complete revolution the pin 65 strikes the cam 6i and rides along the inclined face of said cam to withdraw the clutch pin 58 from the clutch disk 56, thereby unlocking the drive shaft 55 from the cam shaft 40. Then the disk 57 has made one complete revolution the pin 65 engages an abutment 66 on the cam 6% thereby positively stopping the cam shaft.

The different operations of the machine may be briefly described as follows, the operator first places a long tube on the rotating mandrel 7, and the weighted lever 66 is then operated manually to couple the tubular cam shaft 40 to the drive shaft 55. When the cam shaft begins its rotary movement, the pivoted endbearing 9 is shifted into engagement with the tapered journal'on the mandrel by means of the cam 38 and mechanism associated therewith. The mandrel is then firmly supported at both of its ends and the cams d7 force the pressing device into engagement with the tube to form annular grooves in the tube, as previously described. After the tube has made a numberof revolutions the knife carrier is operated by means of cams 41 to force the knives through the tube and into the annular grooves on the mandrel. Thereafter the pivoted bearing member 9 is moved away from the adjacent end of the mandrel to permit the removal of the tube sections. After the operations on the tube have been performed and after the pivoted bearing member 9 has been shifted away from the mandrel the clutch device is operated automatically to uncouple the drive shaft 55 from the cam shaft 40. The tubes are prefera-bly loosely fitted to the mandrel so that the tube sections may be easily and quickly removed from the mandrel without in any way impairing their contracted ends 10. However, if desired, the tube sections may be closely fitted to the mandrel, and in this event the contracted ends 10, which are forced into the annular grooves 10, will be.

expanded when the tube sections are pulled from the mandrel, In this connection it will be understood that the ends 10 are only slightly contracted by the pressing device, the depth of the annular grooves 10 being approximately equal to the thickness of the paper of which the tube is composed. The contracted ends 10 are so firmly set by the pressing, device, that they will readily return to the desired condition if expanded slightly while the tube sections are being pulled from the mandrel.

I claim 1. A machine of the character described comprising a rotatable mandrel adapted to receive a tube, said mandrel being provided with an annular groove, a presser member movable toward said mandrel to force a means for operating upon the tube held by said mandrel, end bearings supporting said mandrel, one of said end bearings being movable toward and away from an end of I the mandrel to permit the application of a tube to the mandrel, and mechanism, associated with said means for operating upon the tube, adapted to operate the last mentioned end bearing after the tubehas been operated upon by said means.

3. A machine comprising a mandrel adapted to receive a tube, operating devices, including a cutting device and a pressing device associated with said mandrel, for cutting and pressing the tube held by said mandrel, a driven shaft provided with means for actuating said pressing device and thereafter actuating said cutting device, a drive shaft for operating said driven shaft, manually operable means for uniting said drive shaft with said driven shaft, and means for automatically releasing said driven shaft from, said drive shaft after the cutting operation.

JAMES L. NEEL.

In the presence of GEORGE EADE, A. W. CO UILLETTE.

B'opies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

